2. Age: 19
3. Hometown AND State: Ripon, WI
4. Sheltered Reality Practice Site: Fox Cities
5. How long have you been in the group? 3 years
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7. Were you a drummer BEFORE Sheltered Reality? Yes
8. How many HOURS per week (on average) do you play the drums, practice SR beats and songs, or just jam for fun? I practice every night before I go to bed and I'll jam out in the middle of the day so between 12 to 15 hours.
9. How many HOURS per week (on average) do you work on Turbo Jam, work on SR choreography, or just work out? I work out 3 hours almost every day and try to throw some SR choreography during my workout. Some people look at me weird when I'm doing Greased Lightning on the tread mill haha!
10. If you do your own work-outs, what do you like to do? Run, Bench Press, Curls & Crunches, Push-ups
11. How many HOURS per week (on average) do you work on SR mission related things OR your own missions to change the world? It goes from week to week, I've been working hard this past week so I'll go with 9 to 12 hours
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13. What is your favorite show you have performed in OR seen from the audience? Why is this your favorite? The best show I have done would have to be the Relay For Life in Ripon. I got to lead that show and it felt super great to deliver the message Steve & Jordan give to people. I got a ton of great feedback from the crowd and made me feel great!
14. If you could thank one person for something they did in your life at this point in time, who would it be and how would you thank them? I would have to thank my father. He has molded me into the person I am today. He brought me into SR and paid my dues every month and drove me all over the state to do the thing I love the most in life. I'm going to have to take him fishing this spring because that's what he loves the most.
15. If you had to tell a random stranger, who has never played drums or any musical instrument, what Sheltered Reality is and stands for, what would you say? Sheltered Reality is organization that gives you the strength to believe in something very important... yourself! Through our Steps of Success Sheltered Reality has music with meaning. Whether if you have played the drums or not you will find that Sheltered Reality will hand you the tools to help you become a better person and help change the lives and change the hearts of others.
16. What is something that nobody knows about you? I am terrified of clowns!!! I watched Stephen Kings' It at a young age (google it) there's a really scary clown that gave me nightmares!!
17. If you were to make a bucket list, what would be top of the list? Crazy Frog! Over 3 years I still don't have the triplets down and neither does our site! When we play it at shows we look ridiculous and I get upset.
18. What three things are always in your refrigerator? Orange Juice, Salad, and JELLO!!!!
19. What is your favorite group/artist? Musical genre (pop, country, Christian contemporary, etc)? Bullet For My Valentine, they are a heavy metal band. I love playing double bass on the set!
20. What do you think people believe of you that is not true? That I'm a quitter, no matter what it is I'm going to bust my bum 'til I succeed.
21. What is your favorite beat? Metal/Tick Tock Beat
22. If you were King/Queen of the world, what would you change? I will banish all clowns!!!! But on a serious note I would give everyone the opportunity reach a life-long dream. Lets say for me I've always wanted to be a pilot, but to get there I need to go to school which is really expensive. I don't have the money to do that right now but I'm not giving up! I would give everyone the chance to go to school and help them accomplish their dream.
23. How do you hope to apply the lessons learned from SR later in life? Joining the National Guard in the fall
24. Pick one of the Steps of Success and tell of a time where it has paid off for you. Believing in myself, things have been pretty tough lately but I hung in there and tried to make the best of it. It's not easy but I knew that if I believed in myself things will get better. I've always told myself that there will always be sunshine after the storm.
25. What is your favorite Color? Why is it your favorite color? Blue (can't you tell already) I don't know really, it looks good on me!
26. Do you have a favorite Sport and or a favorite Sports Team? My favorite sport is Hockey, I love the Detroit Red Wings
27. Who or what has been the biggest Influence in your life? Sheltered Reality without a doubt! It has turned my life around completely!
28. Do you like your Personality? Do you wish you were stronger, braver, or bolder? If you like it, why? If you do not like it, what would you change? I'm pretty content with my personality. I'm the funny guy at practice but have a serious side of me.
29. Have you ever stood up for what you believe, even when it was very hard? I've been caught in situations where I knew it was wrong and I had to do something to keep me and my friends from doing the wrong thing. It was really tough, some of my friends thought I was a chicken but some respected what I believed in. It just shows who your real friends are!
30. What is your favorite subject in school? Study Hall, I can catch up on my sleep!
31. Are you the person you want to be? I want to become better and move up in Sheltered Reality. Maybe someday I'll be like Steve or Jordan... well maybe not like Jordan, I'll never be as cool as Jordan!
32. If you never joined SR, or never heard of SR would you be the same person you are now? Why or why not? Not at all, I'd be going down a bad path with some worse people.
33. What are five things that you have in your room that you love? My drums, My California King Size Bed, My photo album from my childhood, my medals and trophy's from sports, my patch of the U.S. flag from the air force.
34. Can you play any other Instrument other than the drums? Do you wish/want to play another instrument? If so, what? I can play the cow bell!
35. Do you do the SOS (Steps of Success) daily? How many times do you think you use it in a week? I use them when it's called upon
36. What is your favorite movie of all time? Why? Top Gun, it's a movie for fly-boys like me who loves fighter jets like me!
37. What is your favorite television show and/or shows? Dog Fights on the History Channel. No its not dog fighting and little puppies get hurt. A Dog Fight is a battle in the sky between two combat fighter jets. It's a show about the greatest dog fights in history.
38. What movie do you want to see really badly but didn’t get the chance to? Valentines Day, it looks pretty funny!
39. What is your favorite saying that you say? The best thing in life is... life!
40. What's your favorite Step of Success and why? Taking A Chance, if I never took a chance in the beginning I wouldn't be in SR.
41. What are you most proud of about your life? That no matter what I'm doing in life, I'm loving it every day!
42. What is your favorite theme song? The Benjamin J. Arnold theme song!
43. What is your favorite mission project, and how did it impact you? Making pizzas for the local youth group. It was a lot of work but it all paid off in the end... free pizza!!
44. Why did you originally join SR, and what are your reasons for staying? I joined to prove to myself that I could actually do it. Now that I've succeeded I want to show everyone that they can succeed as well. Also I'm one of the leaders of my site and helped create Fox Cities.
45. If you were all of a sudden out of the group what is one thing you have learned that you would take with you the rest of your life? I can succeed
46. What makes you, you? People have always known me by my sense of humor. So I'd have to go with that
47. How is your friendship different with SR friend and non SR friends? How are people in SR at your site/in the country different than people you go to school and/or work with? I treat all my friends the same but I tend to do crazier things with my non SR friends. Like try to sing Poker Face by Lady Gaga with an electric doggy shock collar! Good times...good times!
48. If you had to move, would you try to stay in contact with Steve and Jordan and your site? Most definitely! I'd try to even start my own site!
49. If this blog was never created do you think we would be as close as we are now? Not at all, especially for me because I havn't been to Mt. Rushmore before and it looks like I won't be able to this year. Most people make friends there but I've met a lot of people off the blog!
50. What is your favorite part about the blog? Keeping in touch with the SR Universe!
51. What other activities/organizations are you involved in? City league softball in the summer
52. What size drumsticks do you play with? A5's, I actually carbon-fiber drumsticks that last 6 times longer than wooden sticks. They produce better sound and get better bounce.
53. What are the first three things you do when you get home from school/work/traveling? Dive into the frig! Pull out a soda and maybe get some doritos and kick back and relax
I know many people that would love you for getting rid of all the clowns in the world! Dang! I was hoping you were able to go to Mt. Rushmore this year so that we could actually meet in person...one time talking on the phone (with 4 people which is confusing!) and talking on facebook and here isn't enough. Who knows, I may find myself in WI soon enough!
ReplyDeleteor maybe i'll be in minnesota or iowa? i know you go to minnesota quite a bit. hopefully one of these days we can meet up! maybe go to buffalo wild wings with jordan cuz he loves that place lol
ReplyDeletedon't worry steve we're not excluding you!! :)
Haha sounds good to me! My classmate did the blazing challenge in 2 min this weekend. It was insane!! Just the smell of those wings for me was enough.
ReplyDeleteAww Ben! You're not going to Rushmore! :( sad! I was looking forward to the whole tree thing! :P .... Haha you have to come to Iowa sometime!! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Great answers! I loved the fact that you included Top Gun! I don't want to be seen as the bad guy, but some people gave me the nickname Iceman here! Buffalo Wild Wings?! I almost tried the blazing challenge, but decided against it since it was my first time at Buffalo Wild Wings!
ReplyDeleteWhy do I have so many exclamation points!? rawrgh.
ReplyDeleteGreat answers Ben. For some reason I didn't realize you were 19 (but then I'm really bad at guessing age). Good luck with in the National Guard this fall. SR will definitely come in handy during your training. (Thanks for the info on the carbon-fiber sticks. I'll have to look into those.) It's great getting to know other members a little more.
ReplyDeleteBen- i like your answers!! :) well im from the warren, ohio site and so is dee. the faith site is really working hard to keep their site going and so are we :)
ReplyDeletei have never seen Top Gun ill have to look into that and by the way i hate clowns too.. talk about heeby geebies haha
Kelli-The challenge is just crazy! ibacked out of it cuz i watched others do it and looks like a painful experiance!
ReplyDeleteMikayla-I was really hoping to see you too! there are a number of trees at Mt. Rushmore too lol. but i will try my hardest this summer and get to a couple of iowa shows!
Alex-Iceman is actually not a bad nik-name, Maverick and Iceman ended up to be great buds at the end of the movie! And about the challenge, i wanna try it just to say that i did it but everytime i go there i always get the Jack Daddy Burger! IT'S HUGE!!! Super good stuff!
Karen- Thank you for the support, i was in the air force and it didnt work out to well and ended up back home so i'm a lil bit nervous. and by the way i finally broke one of my carbon-fiber sticks last night at rehearsal! i was soo heart broken lol
Colleen- Oh yeah i know u! the creator of the eenie meanie colleenie beat! it looks pretty cool with the light up sticks! i'm glad that your site is doing well and i hope for nothing but the best for you and the other members! you guys as well as Faith, SD are what make those steps of success come alive! don't give up and believe in yourself! me and the rest of the SR family are all very proud of all of you!
Alex-I like the ! ;) You will have to join us to BBW then!
ReplyDeleteMiKayla-Ohhh the tree thing...that is what made that phone conversation so interestng and I know it has continued since then!
Ben-You actualy broke one?!? Dang!
Colleen-I haven't seen it either...We should watch it together! Movie Party at MTR!!!!
Ben- haha yes there are many trees there! But I would seriously love you forever if you came to Iowa this summer!! :)
ReplyDeleteKelli- I remember that phone conversation! It was you, Tonia, Ben, and I! That was the best! Yes it has continued!! I think should all have another phone convo again.. But leave the tree thing out of it!!!
MiKayla-Yes please leave the trees be! It's kinda creepy! Another conversation? That could be interesting/confusing yet again!
ReplyDeleteCLOWNS! NEVER EVER SAY THAT WORD! JUST THE WORD CREEPS ME OUT! I HATE THEM SO MUCH! KELLI AND MY SITE KNOW THIS A BIT TOO WELL!!! PLEASE GET RID OF THEM ALL!!!
ReplyDeleteI must say... i don't like clowns that much either... they r just... idk...im just not a fan.
ReplyDeleteandd I have been in the mood for buffalo wild wings ever since I read Jordans satus... now I want them more!! LoL :D
Colleen- Woot Ohio!! represent!! ;) lol
Ben - I wanted to see Valentine's Day too! Though all my friends said it was lame lol. It has sooooo good actors! Like Bradley Cooper and Ashton Kutcher! Haha. I liked your other answers too.
ReplyDeleteTonia - Just for you, I hope that one day, all the clowns just disappear :))
Awesomely cool answers man!! :)
ReplyDeleteBen, You have to see Poltergeist if you think clowns are creepy already! Good answers! Thanks for taking the time to really consider the questions and to allow us to get to know you better.
ReplyDeleteI believe i have seen poltergeist... i think, i have seen both of the exorcist movies though. they are really creepy and i will never watch them again! i'm more of a comedy movie guy, i can't watch scary movies they just freak me out to much! the last scary movie i watched was Paranormal Activity and every seen made me jump off the couch!
ReplyDeleteBen- Awe thank you..yea i guess you could say that dee started the lightup stick thing...but im not exactly sure :) and the whole scary movie thing...I hate scary movies. i have never been able to watch them, i do love me some comedies though haha :)
ReplyDeleteDee- oh yea GO OHIO!! hahaha
Kelli-we most definately will...we can watch it during our breaks and then..well im not sure where else but we wil figuer something out :) oh by the way i gave dee my money for the you-know-what :D
Ben-man I want to see Paranormal Activity SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad. I have noo clue why but I do. Well hmm lie. I love the show Ghost Hunters and there two books were awesome but anyways Paranormal Activity looked crazy! My friend said that he will never be able to watch it ever again. lol
ReplyDeleteOh geez dee lets make sure i dont watch that one haha :) i hate scary movies i am such a wuss haha
ReplyDeleteParanormal Activity is just scary! i'm 19 years old almost 20 i had nightmares after watching it! it's not your average ghost that floats around you know...its a demon! and it drags her off the bed and possesses her and she gets dragged down a hall way! it scared me soooo bad!!
ReplyDeleteI don't like scary movies either! Like we went to see Drag Me To Hell and I wanted to leave after 30 minutes haha someone's a pansy...
ReplyDeleteAnd Ben - The way you describe Paranormal Activity.. I'm soooo happy I didn't go to see it :))
Ben-Way to give away a lot of it! At least you didn't give away the ending! That was the only part that made me jump, and that was because I wasn't expecting it!
ReplyDeleteTo all who don't like scary movies-I guess I'm okay with them. I went to Paranormal Activity by myself...I tried to get MiKayla to go with me but that didn't happen. :( Let's see I also recently saw Last House on the Left, I saw some of My Bloody Valentine at Trisha's house, oh! And I went the the Orphan with Alex, Megan, and Sam! That was interesting! Alex guessed the ending though.
Colleen-I was thinking more, you know, AFTER practice when we are all dead and not wanting to do much else, but if you think you can watch it in those short breaks go for it. Dee told me she got your money. :)
kelli- i know haha :) and okay is Dee gonna send it to you or is she gonna wait? i dont know :)
ReplyDeleteBen- oh i am 15 and i have never ever been able to watch scary movies. i once watched this movie called Tha Mind Hunters...it still gives me nightmares. i hated it my friend made me watch it with her..and i saw it almost 5 years ago. pathetic i know :D
Colleen-Dee will be sending it. I'm going in tomorrow after school to order.
ReplyDeleteKelli- AWESOME!!!!!! i cant wait to get it :)
ReplyDeleteBen- If you come to Minnesota, you should drop by MSP!
ReplyDeletePeople talking about scary movies- I cannot watch scary movies. My imagination just LOVES to run wild and cause trouble.
Trees...?
lol i will definately try to sometime!
ReplyDeleteand about the trees... its more of an inside joke between me and mikayla! lol
Ah, that makes sense then.
ReplyDeleteBen-Tonia and I are in on this whole tree thing too! I am still concerned about it as well...
ReplyDeleteOkay i am definitely confused on the tree thing but thats okay :)
ReplyDeletewow this is gonna sound really random but my church has a fish fry every 2 friday of the month and today i was waiting a table and our kitchens were behind and started yelling at me...IN A CHURCH!! they were cusing and everything, i guess i was just blown away at how some people just dont respect a place of God as much as others.
Colleen - Oh wow that is SO disrespectful! I can't even come up with anything to say about it cause it's so disrespectful. People should know to leave yelling somewhere else
ReplyDeleteHeidi- i know!! and their daughter had to be close to 15 or younger. but she had her fone out every time i saw her. then she told me stop interrupting her texts and reading them. yea i was on the other side of the table when she said that....grrrr oh well. some people just respect God as much as others.
ReplyDeleteColleen - That's not good! And that's like disrespectful toward you too! How can you read her texts from other side of table? And maybe she shouldn't be texting either in church
ReplyDeleteooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooopps i alwas txt at the table i have to hide it toughand only oncein church and we had a fish fry to at St.Georige cathlioc church in Hartford,SD it was usy but i texted all trough it.
ReplyDeleteHeidi- i know!!! thats what i said!!
ReplyDelete